W National Park
| W Transborder Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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 Mekrou River in the W-National Park |
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| Location | Niger-Burkina Faso-Benin |
| Nearest city | Kandi (Benin), Diapaga (Burkina), Tapoa (Niger) |
| Coordinates | 12°31′31″N 2°39′48″E / 12.52528°N 2.66333°ECoordinates: 12°31′31″N 2°39′48″E / 12.52528°N 2.66333°E |
| Area | 10,000 km² |
| Established | August 4, 1954 |
| Governing body | ECOPAS, Governments of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin |
| Official name: W National Park of Niger | |
| Type: | Natural |
| Criteria: | vii, ix, x |
| Designated: | 1996 (20th session) |
| Reference #: | 749 |
| State Party: | Nigeria |
| Region: | Africa |
The W Regional Park is a major national park in West Africa. It is formed around a meander in the River Niger shaped like a "W". The park includes areas of the three countries Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso.
The W National Park of Niger was formed by decree on 4 August 1954. In 1996 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the three nations, the Regional park covers about 10,000 km². Almost no people live in this area.
Fauna [change]
The park is known for its large mammals, including aardvarks, baboons, buffalo, caracal, cheetahs, elephants, hippopotamuses, leopards, lions, serval and warthogs. The park has a home for some of West Africa's last wild African Elephants. The W Park used to have packs of the endangered Painted Hunting Dog. The National Park is one of the last strongholds for the Northwest African cheetah. There is a small but increasing population of at least 15-25 animals of this rare cat in the park.[1]
The W area is also known for its bird populations. There are over 350 species identified in the park.[2]
References [change]
- ↑ Belbachir, F. (2008). Acinonyx jubatus ssp. hecki. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2008. Retrieved on 4 February 2009.
- ↑ United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Content Partner); Mark McGinley (Topic Editor). 2009. "'W' National Park, Niger." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). online
Other websites [change]
Media related to W National Park at Wikimedia Commons
